Sorting Meth Residue Facts from Fiction
Identifying Meth Residue is Not as Simple as It May Seem
A home that’s contaminated because of methamphetamine production or use may show few visible signs of the risks it poses. And if that weren’t bad enough, there’s a lot of bad guidance floating around about how to spot one.
Myth 1: You Can Use Hair Spray or Spray Starch to Detect Meth Residue
Fact: Hair spray is not a viable option to detect meth residue. While spray starch does turn a purple-red colour when in contact with iodine, which can be used to produce meth, however, is not reliable or sensitive. Even if the location you have sprayed with starch doesn’t turn purple, this is not conclusive evidence the property is not contaminated by meth residue.
Myth 2: You Can Detect Meth Residue by the Odour
Fact: An old, out-of-use method of meth manufacture does produce a nasty odour that’s reminiscent of cat urine. Even current methods – at certain stages – produce various odours. But none of these is a reliable tip-off. In fact, most meth-contaminated homes have no odour or visual clues.
Myth 3: It’s Not a Concern if Users were Only Smoking Meth
Fact: Many people don’t realise that smoking meth just once leaves a home uninhabitable. Some newer methods of manufacture create less contamination, but smoking will result in contamination 100% of the time.
The only guaranteed way to determine whether a property have been contaminated is to have meth residue testing completed. Meth Residue Testing is an independent meth residue testing company servicing all metro and regional locations across Australia. Our risk management and meth residue testing services assist Australian homeowners, real estate agents, renters and investors understand the risks associated with living in a meth residue contaminated property.